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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Medieval & Modern Coins| ▸ |Medieval & Modern Rarities||View Options:   | | | |
Three months after Henri was elected king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, his brother, Charles IX of France, died and Henri returned to France to assume the French throne. Henri brought several Polish inventions back to France, including septic facilities which deposited excrement outside the castle walls, a bath with regulated hot and cold water, and the fork. Henri gave protestant Huguenots the right of public worship, except in Paris and at Court. In response, Henry I, Duke of Guise, formed the Catholic League. Henri III was forced to flee Paris. After he had the duke assassinated, Henri III prepared to return to Paris but was murdered before he could return. During the French Revolution, his body was disinterred, desecrated, and thrown into a common grave.SH94141. Gold ecu d'or, Duplessy 1121A, Ciani 1408, Lafaurie 960, Friedberg 386, Kopicki 10474 (R4), gVF, some luster, well centered, tight flan, bumps, scratches, double strike in some areas, small hole, weight 3.365 g, maximum diameter 25.6 mm, die axis 135o, Rouen mint, 1587 B; obverse HENRICVS. III. D: G. FRANC. ET. POL. REX. (Henry III, by the grace of God, king of France and Poland) legend divided by sun at the top, crowned arms of France (three lis), B below; reverse + CRISTVS. REIGN. VINCIT. ET. IMP 1578 (Christ reigns, vanquishes and commands), cross fleurée, quadrilobe flower at the center, arms ending in lis; ex Karl Stephens Inc (Temple City, CA); rare;
Crusaders, Frankish Greece, Principality of Achaea, Louis of Burgundy, 31 Jul 1313 - 2 Aug 1316
| Louis of Burgundy was a younger son of Robert II, Duke of Burgundy and Agnes of France. On 31 Jul 1313, he married Matilda of Hainaut to whom Philip I of Taranto gave the Principality of Achaea. Louis ceded his family lands in Burgundy to his elder brother in exchange for the title of "King of Thessalonica." Matilda and Louis arrived separately in Achaea, she sailing directly from Marseille to Navarino with 1,000 troops. Matilda's army was defeated on 22 Feb 1316 by Ferdinand of Majorca, who also claimed the principality. Louis came by way of Venice to solicit aid from the Republic. He defeated Ferdinand, who was killed in the battle, on 5 July 1316. Four weeks later, Louis died. The Chronicle of the Morea attributes his death to a fever, while the Catalan Declaratio summa states that he was poisoned by John, count of Cephalonia. His death left Achaea in an unsettled state, with his brother Eudes, his wife, and the Angevins all attempting to gain it. |  |
Crusaders, Frankish Greece, Principality of Achaea, Ferdinand of Majorca, Pretender, Jun 1315 - 5 July 1316
| Ferdinand of Majorca, as the third son of King James II, was an infante (prince) of the Kingdom of Majorca. It is this title on the obverse of this coin. He was also Viscount of Aumelas and Lord of Frontignan. Ferdinand married Isabella, daughter of Margaret of Villehardouin and they had a son who held the claim on the Principality of Achaea. Margaret and then his wife died in 1315, and soon after he set out with a small company for the Morea to uphold the claim now held by his son. He seized Clarenza in June 1315 and briefly took control of the Morea. In the autumn of 1315 he took a second wife, Isabella of Ibelin. However, his rival claimant Matilda of Hainaut, and her husband Louis of Burgundy returned to the Morea in the spring of 1316 with Venetian aid. Ferdinand's expected aid from Majorca and Sicily was tardy, as was the Catalan Company from Athens. Facing superior numbers, he was killed at the Battle of Manolada on 5 July 1316. |  |
Great Britain, Robert Reynolds & Co., Copper Halfpenny Token, 1792
UK94091. Copper token, Dalton-Hamer 233, EF, evenly toned surfaces with a hint of red, light marks; Inscription on edge: PAYABLE AT THE WAREHOUSE OF ROBERT REYNOLDS & CO., weight 11.607 g, maximum diameter 31.1 mm, die axis 180o, 1792; obverse PRO BONO PUBLICO, Lady Godiva aside horse left (from the flag of the city of Coventry), 1792 in exergue; reverse COVENTRY HALFPENNY., castle on the back of an elephant (from the arms of the city of Coventry); ; rare;
France, Charles IX, 1560 - 1574
Charles IX ascended the throne of France upon the death of his brother Francis II. After decades of tension, war broke out between Protestants and Catholics after the massacre of Vassy in 1562. In 1572, after several unsuccessful peace attempts, Charles ordered the marriage of his sister Margaret of Valois to Henry of Navarre, a major Protestant nobleman and the future King Henry IV of France, in a last desperate bid to reconcile his people. Facing popular hostility against this policy of appeasement, Charles allowed the massacre of all Huguenot leaders who gathered in Paris for the royal wedding at the instigation of his mother Catherine de' Medici. This event, known as the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, was a significant blow to the Huguenot movement. Religious civil warfare soon began anew. Charles ordered the Siege of La Rochelle, but was unable to take the Protestant stronghold. Charles died of tuberculosis without legitimate male issue in 1574 and was succeeded by his brother Henry III.WO94147. Silver teston, Roberts 3551, Duplessy 1063, Ciani 1356, Lafaurie 895, VF, iridescent tone on mint luster, well centered on a tight flan, die wear, weak centers, weight 9.259 g, maximum diameter 28.5 mm, die axis 45o, 1562; obverse CAROLVS•VIIII•D•G•FRANCO•REX• (Charles IX, by the Grace of God, King of France), laureate and cuirassed boy's bust left, mint-mark (off flan) below; reverse + SIT•NOMEN•DNI•H•BENEDIC•M•D•LXII (Blessed be the name of the Lord, 1562), crowned coat of arms (three fleur de lis), crowned C's flanking; ex Gordon Andreas Singer; very rare;
France, Henri IV, 2 August 1589 - 14 May 1610
Henry IV, also known as "Good King Henry", was King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. Upon the death of his brother-in-law and distant cousin Henry III of France, Henry was called to the French succession in 1589. He initially kept the Protestant faith but after four years and at least 12 assassination attempts, he abjured the Calvinist faith. He promulgated the Edict of Nantes in 1598, guaranteeing religious freedom and ending the Wars of Religion. He was assassinated in 1610 by a fanatical Catholic. Unpopular immediately after his accession, Henry's popularity greatly improved after his death. The "Good King Henry" (le bon roi Henri) was remembered for his geniality and his great concern about the welfare of his subjects. Henry is said to have originated the oft-repeated phrase, "a chicken in every pot."UK88342. Silver 1/2 franc, Duplessy 1212A, Lafaurie 1061, Ciani 1534, Roberts 3581, VF, well centered, toned, areas flatly struck, tiny edge split, weight 7.028 g, maximum diameter 27.8 mm, die axis 180o, Angers mint, 1600; obverse HENRICVS•IIII•D•G•FRAN•ET•NAVA•REX• (Henry IV, by the Grace of God, King of France and Navarre), bust of king right, •F• (mintmark) below; reverse + SIT•NOMEN•DOMINI•BENEDICVM•1600 (Blessed is the Name of the Lord), floral cross, with H in center; ex Karl Stephens (Temple City, CA dealer); rare;
Crusaders, Frankish Greece, Duchy of Athens, William or Minority of Guy I de La Roche, 1280 - 1294
| This type was minted either under William de La Roche, 1280 - 1287, or during the minority of Guy I de La Roche, 1287 - 1294. William I de la Roche succeeded his brother, John I, as Duke of Athens in 1280. William reversed the territorial losses of his brother's reign, extending his control over Lamia and Gardiki. He married Helena Angelina Komnene, daughter of John I Doukas, ruler of Thessaly, securing a military alliance with him. |  |
Crusaders, Frankish Greece, Duchy of Athens, Guy II de La Roche, 1287 - 1308
| Guy II de la Roche was the Duke of Athens from 1287, the last duke of his family. He succeeded as a minor on the death of his father, William I, at a time when the duchy of Athens had exceeded the Principality of Achaea in wealth, power, and importance. Guy was originally under the tutorship and regency of his mother, Helena Angelina Komnene, who was forced to make submission to Isabella of Villehardouin. In 1299, Guy was engaged to Matilda, daughter of Isabella and and her husband, Florent of Hainaut. Charles objected, as his permission had not been sought, but Pope Boniface VIII intervened on the young couple's behalf. In 1307, Guy was made bailli of Achaea by its new prince, Philip I of Taranto. He governed well, but for barely a year. He died, 5 October 1308, at the age of twenty-eight, but was respected and renowned for his chivalry and manners. | |
Second Bulgarian Empire, Vidin Kingdom, Ivan Stratsimir, 1356 - 1397 A.D.
Ivan Alexander divided his kingdom between his two sons. Ivan Stratsimir received Vidin. In 1365, the Hungarian King Louis I of Anjou captured Vidin. Sratsimir and his family were held captive in Croatia for four years but in 1369 Sratsimir was restored to his throne under Hungarian overlordship. After the Ottoman invasion in 1388, he was forced to acknowledge Ottoman overlordship and garrisons. In 1396 Sratsimir and his subjects aligned themselves with the anti-Ottoman Crusade led by the Hungarian king Sigismund of Luxemburg. The crusade ended in disaster at the battle of Nikopol on 25 Sep 1396. By the end of 1397 Sultan Bayezid I approached Vidin and, assured by the promise of his safety, Ivan Stratsimir came out to meet him. On the order of Bayezid I, Ivan Stratsimir was arrested and conveyed to Bursa, while the Sultan confiscated the contents of the Vidin treasury. Sratsimir's fate is unknown. Vidin was likely annexed by the Ottoman Empire in 1397, but at least part of the realm remained under the control of Sratsimir's son and heir Constantine II.
This type is described as a half grosch in older references. ME47140. Silver grosch, reduced weight; Radushev-Zhekov 1.14.4; Moushmov 7542, c. 0.50g, c. 16mm diameter, Vidin mint, 1371 - 1376 A.D.; obverse nimbate half length figure of Christ, right hand raised in benediction, book of gospels in left, IC - XC (Greek abbreviation: Iισους Xριστος - Jesus Christ) flanking Christ's head, legend around; reverse Stratsimir enthroned facing, nimbate, scepter in right, mappa in left, lis left and right, rosette between legs, legend around; VF, typical crude examples with uneven strikes and wavy flans; Forum's random selection from the same group as the coins in the photograph; one coin; rare;
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